A 20-week pregnant patient presents with heavy vaginal bleeding and signs of shock. Which oxygen therapy is appropriate?

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Multiple Choice

A 20-week pregnant patient presents with heavy vaginal bleeding and signs of shock. Which oxygen therapy is appropriate?

In shock from heavy bleeding, the priority is to maximize oxygen delivery to tissues. The best way to do that with simple prehospital tools is to use a nonrebreather mask at high flow, which can deliver the highest inspired oxygen concentration available among basic devices when the bag is fully inflated and the seal is tight. This approach helps improve maternal and fetal oxygenation in a life-threatening hemorrhagic event. The two nasal cannula options provide relatively low oxygen concentrations (even at higher flow, the FiO2 is limited), so they’re not sufficient in a patient showing signs of shock. Providing no oxygen is inappropriate in shock because hypoxia worsens tissue perfusion and outcomes.

In shock from heavy bleeding, the priority is to maximize oxygen delivery to tissues. The best way to do that with simple prehospital tools is to use a nonrebreather mask at high flow, which can deliver the highest inspired oxygen concentration available among basic devices when the bag is fully inflated and the seal is tight. This approach helps improve maternal and fetal oxygenation in a life-threatening hemorrhagic event.

The two nasal cannula options provide relatively low oxygen concentrations (even at higher flow, the FiO2 is limited), so they’re not sufficient in a patient showing signs of shock. Providing no oxygen is inappropriate in shock because hypoxia worsens tissue perfusion and outcomes.

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